Under 5

Children are learning all the time, and the earliest years of a child’s life are especially important. This is when children learn to walk, talk, and explore. Adults help children feel safe and loved. This helps children enter school confident they can make new friends and learn new things. Responsive care early in a child’s life can help build a child’s learning capacity. School readiness is not only about ABC’s and 1,2,3’s. When a child is very young, it is about building better brains.  

As a community, we care because school readiness is the foundational step in creating the strongest educational pipeline in the country, here in the heart of Texas! When we as a community come together to support children and their families, we can ensure that children are ready for school, and just as important, schools are ready for all of our children.

You Need to Know

  • Children who are ready for school are more likely to read on grade level
  • They are more likely to graduate from high school
  • They are more likely to attend college
  • They are more likely to earn more and have a stable job
Heckman et al., 2009b Heckman, J.J., Moon, S.H., Pinto, R., Savelyev, P.A., Yavitz, A.Q., 2009b. A Reanalysis of the High Scope Perry Preschool Program, unpublished manuscript, University of Chicago, Department of Economics. First draft, September, 2006.

Show your Pre-K student this fun video in English by local Austin musician Sara Hickman

Muestra a tu niño de Pre-Kinder este gracioso video en Español de la artista local Gina Chavez